Nine Minutes
by The Truth Beacon
Summary: What do Apollo 13 and lots of coffee got to do with Skinner's phone number? Intrigued?


Title: Nine minutes

Author: Catriona McKenna The Truth Beacon

Rating PG –13. Language and certain things are suggested (hint, hint)

Key words: UST, MSR

Summary: What do CNN news and Apollo 13 have to do with Skinner's phone number? Intrigued? 

Spoilers: None (omg! A spoiler free story! )

Authors notes: If you can make any sense of this, then let me know. I don't even know where the idea came from, all I know is I had to write this.

Feedback: is the word of the century. Please send it to Scully1013_1121@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: I'm not Chris Carter. All together now – well d'uh! I don't own Mulder or Scully. Just borrowing them. They will be returned sometime soon with or without their memories. Don't sue. I spent all my money on X Files stuff. 

Dedication: To Joey. Congrats on your exam results! J

**********************************************************************

This isn't my room.

I don't own a bed

Where the hell am I?

Where's my other arm?

Oh shit.

Forcing my eyes to stay open I manage to quietly turn my head to the right. 

I've solved the mystery of the missing arm

It's wrapped around Scully

Oh shit

Check for hangover

No headache, no bleariness, nope, no hangover.

My eyes don't seem to want to stay open but I force them to check that I've got my clothes on.

Yes clothes intact and so are hers

Sigh of relief

Why?

Oh come on, you'd love it if you were both naked right now

Ok, maybe I would, but what the hell happened to my memory?

Next move – release arm

Muscles unresponsive

So what?

I'm going back to sleep

" Mulder, I know you're up."

Oh no

My eyes open slightly and look at her. My right arm is wrapped around her and her head is buried near my shoulder.

Take a deep breath

" Scully?"

Her eyes shoot open

" What the hell…???"

She's awake now

" Oh good, it's not just my memory," I reply somewhat relieved.

" No seriously Mulder, what the hell are you doing here?" she asks and pulls herself into a sitting position.

Oh god, she's even gorgeous when she just wakes up. Her hair's tossed and…. Think, think Skinner in a ballerina's outfit. Ok, I didn't say give yourself a heart attack. Think…

" Mulder, I mean it. What are you doing here?"

She gives me a look. Damn, I can't make it out. My little black book of ' Scully looks' is at home.

" What are you doing here?" I snap back.

Great answer, here it comes. She's gonna kill you.

" What am I doing here? It's my bloody bedroom. I don't believe this."

Think of last night.

Meeting

Huh?

Oh damn

" Scully, the meeting today at 3:00pm about team skills…"

" Oh shit."

Time

Where's my watch

On my arm

It's too bright to read it

Hold it up in air for Scully to read

" 9:00am."

Sigh of relief

But why are you here?

" Files."

Huh? What's she on about?

" Huh?"

" Mulder, you brought over some files last night on some case."

Ok, memory coming back

Rain

Lots of rain

" It was raining."

Now she looks confused.

I was soaking wet

Oh god, please say I'm wrong

Forcing my eyes to look reluctantly at my top and trousers I realise they aren't mine.

" Bill."

She looks at my clothes

" You were wet, so I gave you a spare pair of Bill clothes to change into as you wore home your spare set after the last case."

" Do you've a hangover Scully?"

She pauses for a minute and I can see her run all the medical symptoms through her brain

" No," she replies cautiously, " you?"

" No."

She slowly pulls herself to her feet and looks around then heads out to the kitchen

Pause

Should I follow?

Well you can't just lie here can you?

Need coffee

I manage to remember the leg movements needed to perform the action of standing and walking.

Slow walk into her living room

Coffee mugs scattered all over coffee table

Case notes dumped on a big pile on the floor

Apollo 13 video case lying under coffee table

My wet clothes on the radiator

No alcohol to be seen

Her jumper is on the couch

As is mine, I mean Bill's

Did I kiss her?

" Mulder??" she calls.

" Yeah," I call back still in a daze.

" Why is Skinner's phone number on the fridge?"

Oh god, not Skinner.

******************************

" Who's writing is it in?" I call back.

Silence

" Mine," she answers confused.

Good, it's her lost memory not mine

" Mulder, why is it on the fridge?"

How the hell should I know?

It's her memory, she can deal with it

Hang on, that's not fair

You're right

" I dunno, did he phone last night?" I call.

" Warning."

Huh, now I'm really confused.

" He called and warned us to come to the meeting or else," she yells.

I can hear her making coffee

Coffee 

Coffee is good

" But why is it on the fridge?" I call.

Think, think

" Where you here when he called?" she yells

" Yeah."

" How do you know? You can't even remember why you were in my bedroom!"

" He asked about the case and told us to call him back…"

" Yeah, but why would I write down the phone number on the fridge?"

" It's definitely his number?"

" Yeah…"

I NEED that coffee

I wish I did have a hangover 

Then at least I wouldn't have to figure this out – just put it down to alcohol

Ouch

Pain

Stubbed toe

Look down

Tom Hanks

That Apollo 13 video

Ouch

Note to world: Don't stub your toe on Apollo 13 video

It hurts

Memory

Oh shit

" We were watching Apollo 13," I call

" Huh?" she replies walking over to me and hanging me a coffee mug

" And Skinner rang and you told him you'd call him back."

" Go on."

" And he said he'll be at home all evening so you wrote down his home phone number to remind you to call him back."

" Did I call him back?"

" Don't think so, but he then asked why we were playing Apollo 13."

Oh god, just think of the rumours when that one gets around

Spooky and Scully watching videos together

Bet you the odds on us doing the wild thing went right up

" And what did we tell him?" he asks.

Oh god

Deep breath

Be calm

" I kind of told him we were * busy * right now and we'll call him back and then we kind of hung up on him and disconnected the phone."

She's gonna kill you

Oh well, at least the coffee's good

" Mulder…"

" Well what did you want me to tell him?"

She sinks down on to the couch

" And I put it on the fridge cause I went to get us more chocolate ice-cream."

I see the light go on in her head

Did I kiss her last night?

Why don't you ask her?

Yeah, that would be a brilliant idea

What the hell happened to our memory?

This coffee's good

Oh no

Coffee

Lots of coffee

Apollo 13

And lots of coffee

" Scully, do you remember watching Apollo 13 last night."

" Yeah…"

Good, cause I do and I also remember having my arm round you for the vast majority of it

She looks at me for a second then looks away

Oh shit

She remembers the arm thing

" Mulder…"

" Yeah."

She inhales sharply

She's not looking at me

" Did we *** do * **anything last night?"

Oh god

Look into the coffee

It's like an abyss 

You can't see the bottom

" Em…"

" Mulder, why can't we remember anything?"

" I don't kno… Scully."

" Yeah?"

" What's that bottle half under the couch?"

She makes what looks like a heroic effort to bend down and pick it up.

She hands it to me

" Energy booster."

Turn and look at ingredients

Damn, why is the print so small

95% sugar

Jesus

" It's got 95% sugar in it. I think we had way to much sugar last night if you add all the sugar in the ice-cream and the coffee."

Ok, why the funny look?

" Are you suggesting that too much sugar induces a hangover like condition?"

Now she's raising the eyebrow

" It's a known fact that many teenagers can get ' high' on sugar." I retort

Silence

Up goes the eyebrow

" Mulder, even if that was true – does it really explain why we've lost our memory?"

Look into coffee again

" Scully…"

She looks at me

Her eyes 

Clear

Blue

There's an invisible wall there, protecting her feelings from showing

" Only we could argue about sugar."

Smile tugging at her mouth

She sits back into the sofa and turns on the t.v.

CNN news

It's 9:30 according to the clock on the t.v

Hunch

Check watch

Oh shit

" Scully…"

" Uh huh?"

" Why does my watch read 9:21?"

Startled expression

Oh shit

Maybe it wasn't the sugar

" Don't even suggest it, Mulder"

Fake hurt

Try puppy dog eyes

It's not working

Fine

Desperate times call for desperate measures

Give her one of those ' looks'

Ok, it's working, she's looking sorry.

That's horrible, using your looks to beat her down

Oh shut up

" Well how do you explain the lost time Scully?" I question. 

Ok, that was too sarcastic

Now she's looking at me like that

Does she do this on purpose?

Is she aware I'm getting high off her eyes?

I hold up my hand in apology

She smiles back

" Ok, forgetting aliens for the minute Mulder, what the hell did cause your watch to stop for nine minutes?"

" Aliens," I mutter quietly

She heard it

But she's grinning

Good sign

Maybe I did kiss her last night

Maybe she remembers and is just waiting to see if I do…

" The case notes."

Huh?

What did she say?

Case notes?

" They're on the floor," she points out.

So?

" Mulder, you came over around 8:00 pm, with case notes. You come in and we sit down and then we decide to watch Apollo 13, which you got me for Christmas. Then we know what happens, Skinner phoned."

She's waiting to see if I'm following

She missed out the part about my arm being round her

" Then when Apollo 13 is over, we've had way to much sugar and you begin to…"

" Do impressions of Skinner," I finish.

I do a mean Skinner impression

Well it made her laugh

I love making her laugh

I love seeing her happy

" And then we tried to find the video case and accidentally dropped your watch in the tub of ice-cream."

Ok, I remember that

But I also remember by this stage I was practically lying on top of her.

Hmm, I think she remembers judging my the way she's avoiding my gaze

Deep breath

" And my watch must have stopped and I didn't take it out till nine minutes later when you decided to put the ice-cream away."

That is so implausible

Honestly, have you heard a worse explanation in your life?

But, it's the truth

" Scully."

" Yeah."

I love you

I can't say that yet

" Do you mind me being here?"

Ok, she's searching my eyes

She's looking so deep into them

" No," she says quietly, " I don't."

Sense of déjà vu

Why?

Too early in the morning to think about this

This feels so right

The two of us sitting here in the morning

" Mulder?"

" Yeah?"

" I remember all of last night now."

She does?

Stay calm

Buy time

" Huh?"

" Mulder, I know you're playing for time. I saw the look on your face."

Damn

Her expressions neutral

" After you finished your Skinner impressions you went on to do Tom Colton…"

I remember that

Tom Colton

Full time jerk and loser 

Whose head is so far up his superiors' asses it's coming out their mouths

" Mulder? You following?"

" Yeah."

Yeah, I am

Shit

Damn memory

I wish I didn't remember

" Ok, so after I'd done Tom Colton I realised that it was late."

I also remember being at the opposite end of the couch to you

Just looking at you

" And then you jumped me."

Ok, maybe that wasn't quite how it happened

Hell, it's not even close

Man, is she giving me a dirty look

Did I mention I get some kind of weird kick out of teasing her?

I love seeing the blush creep up her cheeks

" I jumped you?"

I swear the look is priceless

You know Mulder, sometimes you should consider why you flirt with her like that?

Oh shut up!

It's because you're hoping that one day she'll act on it cause you're too chicken.

Shut up!

Sometimes I hate the psychologist in me.

" Ok, so maybe I made that bit up."

Silence

" Why?"

Oh dear god

Now I'm blushing

She's getting a kick out of this all right.

Aware my cheeks are turning the colour of her hair

Ok, she asked for this

I didn't want to stoop this low

" Why wouldn't you jump me, Agent Scully?"

Ok, now she's looking like I just told her there is a flukeman under the couch

Her face bares amazement

But

But I can see fear

Fear of rejection

Fear of coming this close again only to let the opportunity go

Tick tock

The ticking of my watch is the only noise in the room

Focus on it

Tick

You can make an excuse and leave

Tock

Or you can stay and get this out in the open once and for all

Tick

Run

Tock

Stay

" Look at me," I say with more confidence than I feel

I'm staying

This is one time to many

One time too many of coming this close

I'm not going to go through the ' I should have told her before' debate again when something goes wrong

No, this is one time too many

She looks at me

Her eyes 

Clear

" Last night after I did the Tom Colton impressions what happened?"

She's thinking

" I suggested you spend the night because it was raining to much for you to go home."

I know why the déjà vu this morning now

Last night I asked her if she minded me staying here

She didn't

" Then you went to get ready for bed and told me to get some sheets out of the cupboard. But you turned out the light and I kinda got lost and then I realised I was in your bedroom and against all better judgement I just collapsed there. The End."

" It doesn't sound quite so exciting or interesting as it did at the start? Doesn't it?" she grins back.

I lean back in to the couch and she gets up to get changed.

Suddenly I stand up and stand right behind

I feel her tense

I breathe slowly and wrap my arms around her

She relaxes into them

I sort of spin her round to face me

She looks up 

I bring my face slowly down to meet hers

I meet her eyes

There's no wall there anymore

Our lips meet

My arms tighten around her small waist

Her arms snake up my back

Oh god this feels so right

Minutes stretch into eternity and finally we separate

Her eyes are dancing and I'm sure my face has this silly grin all over it

I look around

The coffee's mugs are empty

Skinner's phone number is still on the fridge without a proper explanation

Why my watch lost nine minutes is still up in the air

How the hell we even decided to watch Apollo 13 last night is blurry

But do you know what?

I don't give a damn

Feedback will be replied too and cherished! Send it to Scully1013_1121@yahoo.com


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